賞
shō
The Japanese word for prize is 賞, known as shō.
賞 generally means award or prize. If you are referring specifically to the physical object or commodity given as a prize, you should use 賞品. If the prize is a sum of money, the term 賞金 is used. To describe the highest or grand prize, use 大賞.
Meaning: honor or reward striven for in a competitive contest (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 賞 refers to the honor or the award itself, 賞品 specifically refers to the physical object or commodity given as a prize.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun form 入賞 (nyūshō) is used to describe the act of winning a prize or placing in a competition. The term 一等賞 (ittōshō) is commonly used to denote the first prize in a competition.
How do you pronounce it?
shō
Did you know?
- The term 賞味期限 (shōmi kigen) uses the character 賞 to refer to the 'taste' or 'appreciation' of food. It describes the 'best-before date' rather than a safety expiration date.
- In the context of gambling or lotteries, a 'prize' is often called 当たり (atari), which literally means 'a hit'. This differs from 賞 because it refers to the luck of the draw rather than a merit-based award.
- If you win a prize in a lottery or a random drawing, you would not use 賞 but would instead use 当選 (tōsen), which refers specifically to being selected through a draw.
Examples in context
- 目標は一等賞です。The goal is the first prize.This sentence uses 賞 to express a goal of winning first prize.Tatoeba #11211496 by ITA, translation #13315334 by Ag12x
- 彼はその賞に値する。He deserves the prize.This sentence uses 賞 to state that someone deserves a prize.Tatoeba #112643 by bunbuku, translation #291033 by CK
- 彼は三位に入賞した。He won the third prize.This sentence uses 賞 to describe winning third prize.Tatoeba #2234718 by bunbuku, translation #296986 by CK
- 彼女は素晴らしい写真を撮ったため、写真コンテストで賞状を受け取りました。She received a certificate of commendation at the photo contest for taking amazing pictures.
- 昨晩のアワードショーで彼らは素晴らしい歌唱力で大賞を獲得しました。They won the grand prize at last night's awards show with their incredible singing talent.
- 50 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a photography contest.
- 健太 Kentaその賞は、誰がもらいましたか？Sono shō wa, dare ga moraimashita ka?Who received that prize?
- 陽葵 Himari地元の写真家がもらいましたよ。Jimoto no shashinka ga moraimashita yo.A local photographer received it.
- 健太 Kentaすごいですね。賞品は何ですか？Sugoi desu ne. Shōhin wa nan desu ka?That's amazing. What is the prize?
- 陽葵 Himari新しいカメラだそうです。Atarashii kamera da sō desu.I heard it's a new camera.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “prize” translations and entries 賞, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
